Integrated Biogeochemical Studies in the Everglades: Nutrients, Sulfur, and Organics

Principal Investigators: William H. Orem Project Personnel: Harry E. Lerch, Anne L. Bates, Robert A. Zielinski, Charles W. Holmes, Kathleen Simmons, Marci Marot, Margo Corum and Marisa Beck Proposal, Project Summaries and Work Plans Metadata Publications

Summary

The overall question we are addressing with this effort is, "Near term changes to the Everglades are certain, but what will be the ecosystem-level result of these changes and over what time scales can we expect these changes to occur?"

Please note: This project is part of the larger USGS project "Integrated Geochemical Studies in the Everglades"

We propose to carry out work in the following areas: (1) Water quality studies, (2) Field-scale and laboratory-scale experimental studies; and (3) Coordinating input of geochemical results into ecosystem models and risk assessment studies being conducted by others. Our work tasks in these areas will be framed within the context of the Everglades restoration effort, and needs of ecosystem land and water managers to understand how the restoration may affect water chemistry, biology, and contaminant toxicity. The overall question we are addressing with this effort is, "Near term changes to the Everglades are certain, but what will be the ecosystem-level result of these changes and over what time scales can we expect these changes to occur?"

Our previous work (Phase I studies) has answered many key questions regarding mercury, sulfur, and nutrient cycling in the Everglades, and redefined several previously existing paradigms about the general environmental chemistry of mercury. At the same time, however, our work has revealed several critical information gaps that we propose to address with this study (Phase II studies). The proposed work will employ a variety of investigative approaches to achieve these objectives, including: field studies, controlled experiments (both field and lab scale), and modeling. Contaminants of concern will include nutrients, sulfur, mercury, organic compounds, and other metals. Protocols for the collection of samples and chemical analysis developed during Phase I studies will be employed in these Phase II efforts. Integration of the individual tasks within the project will be achieved by co-location of field sampling sites, and cooperative planning and contemporaneous execution of laboratory and field-enclosure experiments. Results from all tasks within the project will be archived within a single database, which will be made available through a Decision Support System (Web enabled) in a GIS framework to facilitate its use by ecosystem managers.

Proposal

• 2001

Project Summaries

• 2001
• 2002
• 2003

Work Plans

• 2003

Metadata

• Nutrients, Sulfur, and Organic Matter

Publications

Abstracts

• Nutrient and Sulfur Contamination in the South Florida Ecosystem: Synopsis of Phase I Studies and Plans for Phase II Studies (from the GEER Conference, December, 2000)
• Sulfur, a Key Water Quality Issue in the Everglades (from the 2002 Spring AGU Meeting)
• Sulfur Contamination and Geochemistry of the Everglades (from the GEER Conference, April 2003)
• Sulfur Contamination in the Everglades and Its Relation to Mercury Methylation (from the South Florida Restoration Science Forum, May 1999)

  Open File Reports:

• Geochemistry of Sulfur in the Florida Everglades: 1994 through 1999 (OFR-01-007)
• Geochemistry of Surface and Pore Water at USGS Coring Sites in Wetlands of South Florida: 1994 and 1995 (OFR-97-454)

  Paper:

• Binding of Mercury(II) to Dissolved Organic Matter: The Role of the Mercury-to-DOM Concentration Ratio

  Report:

• Tracing sources of sulfur in the Florida Everglades